Process of finishing hat-bodies.



H. T. EMMONS.

PROCESS OF FINISHING HAT BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED 12.2, 1914,

1,103,183. Patented July 14,1914,

I THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHUTO-LITNQv WASHINGTON. D C.

HENRY T. EMMONS, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROCESS OF FINISHING- HAT-BODIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1914.

Application filed April 2', 1914;. Serial No. 829,142.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY T. EMMONS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brookline, county of Norfolk, Massachusetts, have invented a certain new uid useful Improvement in Processes of Finishing Hat-Bodies, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In the manufacture of hats, especially hats made of wool or wool and noils, the hats have heretofore had a surface finish which is either dull and void of luster or if it had a luster it was only on a smooth surface, the hat thereby having the appearance of a cheap finish as compared with a velvet or velour hat. Heretofore, so far as known to me, no means have been known to manufacturers whereby hats made of wool or wool and noils could be given a lustrous pile finish, such as the velvet or velour possesses. The wool or wool and noil bodies, however, are less expensive than the velvet or velour bodies and the object of my invention is to finisha hat body made of wool or wool and noils in such manner that it will have a lustrous pile effect resembling the more expensive hats of velvet or velour. The invention consists in raising a pile on the hat body and working it up or pouncing it in such manner as to give it a velvet or velour effect with a luster. Preferably the hat body should be somewhat heavier than the ordinary wool hat body on which the ordinary finish is employed. I have employed special devices for use in finishing the hat in accordance with my invention, but the apparatus employed may be widely varied, and I will therefore first describe the process without reference to drawings, and will then describe more particularly the ap plication of one form of device in carrying out the process. I first pounce the hatwith some fine abrading material, such for instance as a fine sand-paper covered rotating roll for the purpose of giving an even surface to the hat body, and I find that the best results are obtained by causing the hat to rotate slowly on its "axis in an opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the roll so that the abrading surface and that portion of the hat body in contact therewith will travel in the same direction, but the abrading surface will travel faster than the hat body so as to produce the abrading effect, the abrading State of action being always in one direction, instead of having a reciprocating movement, and in doing this to move the hat until all parts of the top of the hat have come in contact with the abrading surface. I then go over the hat in the same manner with an abrading surface of coarser material, such for instance, as coarser sand-paper. This raises the pile and roughs it up. In doing this the first in one direction and then in the reverse, as for instance, first from left to right and then from right to left. The first direction of movement of the sec ond abrading surface raises the pile and roughs it up, as above described, and in going over it in the reverse direction it gives to the hat body a luster. I then apply a bristle brush, first in one direction all over the hat and then in the reverse direction to still further raise the pile and give to it the final sheen or luster.

The same process may be applied to a fur hat, made for instance of coney or rabbit fur, as well as to a wool or wool and noil hat, obtaining thereby a similar finish.

I will now describe the invention as practised by the use of the particular apparatus which I have devised for that purpose.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a perspective view of. the apparatus employed in carrying out the first step in the process to pounce the hat body. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the use of an abrading roll of coarser character than the one shown in Fig. 1 to raise the pile. Fig. 3 is a view showing the abrading surface of the same. character as in Fig. 2, but adapted for operating on the hat in the reverse direction. Fig. 4 is a view showing a brush adapted to act upon the hat in the reverse direction to the abrading roll of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view showing a brush similar to that of Fig. 4 but adapted to act upon the hat in the reverse direction to Fig. l.

Referring now particularly to the drawings,l represents a hat body, A an abrading roll, preferably of fine sand-paper mounted on a rotary shaft, 8 driven in any suitable manner, as for instance by a belt 4 running over pulley 5 on said shaft 3 so as to rotate the abrading roll at quite a rapid speed. The hat body should be supported on a suitable holder and held by a yielding pressure against the sand-paper roll and the holder which I have employed for the purpose consists of a block 6 covered with rubhat is gone over lot the hands of the operator and the treadle depressed so as to cause the block 6 to press the hat body into'contact with the abrading roll- A. The abrading roll rotates in the di rection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 and by its frictional engagement with the hat'body will tend to cause the hat body to rotate on its axis in the reverse direction 'to the rotation of the roll A, and thereby the contact surfaces will travel in the same direction. The hat will be gripped by the operator and held back with suflicient firmness so that although the hat body is being moved by the abrading roll it will be at a slower rate of speed, thus causing the abrading roll to operate on the hat. The operator will gradually change the position of the hat on the block 6 so that whereas in the drawings it is shown as having the brim portion in engagement with the abrading roll it can be moved along on the block 6 so as to have the abrading action gradually work up toward the top of the crown, the

hat all the time revolving and being fed from left to right as viewed in Fig. 1 of the drawings, so that the entire surface of the hat will be gone over. Then preferably the hat body is turned inside out and the same process will be applied to said surface which was the inner surface but is now on the outside. I do not regard it as absolutely essential to treat the inside, but I find better results are obtained by turning the hat inside out and going over said inside surface by each one of the abrading wheels in turn after the outside has been treated.

After the hat has been pounced by the apparatus'in Fig. 1 it is then treated by the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 which is similar to the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, with the exception that the abrading roll B is coarser than the abrading roll A of the first apparatus. The operation is the same as in Fig. 1, the hat all the time revolving and being fed from left to right.

Similar numerals are given to corresponding parts of the apparatus.

After being treated by the apparatus in Fig/72 which raises the pile, the hat body is treated by apparatus shown in Fig. 3, in which the abrading roll B is of the same coarseness as the abrading roll Bin Fi .2, but the holder for the hat body is right handed instead of left handed and is adapted to hold the hat body so that the abrading action will be in the reverse direction to that in Fig. '3. This gives to the hat body a luster. The hat body is then removed to the apparatus shownin Fig. 4;, in which a rotary bristle brush C is employed instead of the abrading roll, being driven in the same manner as the abrading roll, and the hat body being held in the same manner as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the hat body will revolve and be fed by the operator from left to right as viewed in Fig. 4. This will raise the pile thoroughly and also give it additional luster. It is then transferred to the apparatus shown in Fig.

'5, in which the brush C is similar to the brush C shown in Fig. 1, but the holder is adapted for holding the hat body so that it shall be rotated in the reverse direction to that in Fig. 4.

I have described the abrading roll as pref erably being made of sand-paper, but it may be an abrading surface of any suitable material, for instance flint or glass paper will give the desired effect, and there are numerous other suitable materials for accomp-lishing the same result.

I have found in practice that by treating the hat body in the manner above described, the long pile will be raised on the wool body and be given a luster very much like velvet or velour.

The essential steps are that the hat body shall first be gone over with a fine abrading surface, second, treated by a coarser abrading surface, and third, be gone over with a brush of bristles or the like.

What I claim is: 10

1. The method of producing a lustrous pile on a hat body consisting of first going ovcr th-e hat body with a fine abrading surface, second, going over the hat body with a coarser abrading surface than said first 105 abrading surface, and third going over the surface with a bristle brush.

2. The method of producing a lustrous pile finish on a. hat body consisting of cansing a fine abrading surface to move continuously in one direction over the hat body, then causing a second abrading surface coarser than said first abrading surface to go over the hat body continuously in one direction for a period of time, then to cause an 115 abrading surface coarser than said first abrading surface to move over said hat body in the reverse direction by a continuous movement in said reverse direction for a period of time, thencausing a bristle brush 12 to move over the surface. of said hat body continuously in one direction for a period of time. 1

8. The method ofproducing a lustrous pile finish on a hat body consisting of causing a fine abrading surface to move continuously in one direction over the hat body, then causing a second abrading surface coarser than said first abrading surface to go over the hat body continuously in one di- 13a rection for a period of time, then to cause an abrading surface coarser than said first abrading surface to move over said hat body in the reverse direction by a continuous movement in said reverse direction for a period of time, then causing a bristle brush to move over the surface of said hat body continuously in one direction for a period of time, and then causing a bristle brush to move over said surface in the reverse direction to the action of said first bristle brush for a period of time.

4. The method of producing a lustrous pile finish on a hat body, consisting of applying a rotary abrading surface to the hat body and causing the hat body to move in the same direction with the travel of said abrading surface but at a difierent rate of speed, then applying to said hat body another rotating abrading surface coarser than said first abrading surface and causing the hat to move in the same direction as the travel of the said abrading surface but at a different rate of speed, then applying to said hat body a rotating bristle brush and cansing the said hat body to move in the same direction but at a different rate of speed from the speed of travel of the said brush.

5. The method of producing a lustrous pile finish on a hat body, consisting of subjecting the hat body to the action of a rotating abrading surface moving continuously in the same direction over the hat body for a period of time, then subjecting the hat body to the action of a rotating abrading surface coarser than said first mentioned abrading surface continuously in the same direction for a period of time, then subjecting the said hat body to the action of a rotating abrading surface of said second degree of coarseness moving continuously for a period of time in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of said first application of said coarser abrading surface, then subjecting said hat body to the action of a rotary bristle brush moving continuously in one direction for a period of time over the surface of the hat body, then subjecting the hat body to the action of a rotary bristle brush moving over the surface of said hat body continuously in one direction but in the reverse direction from said first application of a bristle brush.

6. The method of producing a lustrous pile finish on a hat body consisting of subjecting the hat body to the action of a rotating abrading surface moving continuously in the same direction over the hat body for a period of time, then subjecting the hat body to the action of a rotating abrading surface coarser than said first mentioned abrading surface continuously in the same direction for a period of time, then subjecting the said hat body to the act-ion of a rotating abrading surface of said second degree of coarseness moving continuously for a period of time in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of said first application of said coarser abrading surface, then subjecting said hat to the action of a rotary bristle brush moving continuously in one direction for a period of time over the surface of the hat body, then subjecting the hat body to the action of a rotary bristle brush moving over the surface of said hat body constinuously in one direction but in the reverse direction from said first application of a bristle brush, and causing the hat body during said abrading and brushing actions to move in the same direction as the travel of the abrading surface and brush, as the case may be, but at a slower rate of speed.

7. The art of producing on a WOOl hat body a lustrous pile finish, consisting of subjecting the hat body to the action of abrading surfaces of successively coarser degrees and then subjecting it to the action of a bristle brush.

8. The art of producing on a WOOl hat body, a lustrous pile finish consisting of pouncing it to give an even surface to the hat body, then roughing it up to raise the pile and then brushing out the pile.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of tWo Witnesses.

HENRY T. EMMONS.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. COPELAND, ALIon H. MORRISON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0." 

